Lightning trade Mikhail Sergachev, Tanner Jeannot ahead of free agency

TAMPA – The Lightning on Saturday abruptly said goodbye to another part of their championship core that was expected to become the Bolts over the next decade, giving general manager Julien Brisebois the salary cap flexibility he has used to retain the Lightning. Wanted for years. Contender.

But for now, that freed up money hasn’t been earmarked for Steven Stamkos, and the Lightning captain appears to be headed to the open market when free agency begins Monday afternoon.

The Brisebois made a shock move during the second day of the NHL Draft in Las Vegas, sending 26-year-old rising superstar defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club.

A major shock came later in the day. Brisebois said that even after gaining $11.15 million in cap space by trading for Sergachev and forward Tanner Jeannott, he contacted Stamkos’ agent, Don Meehan, again, but did not make Stamkos a better offer.

“There is no change in our respective positions after Saturday’s trading.” Brisebois said on the phone after the draft. “As of now we both have agreed to reach by July 1. This doesn’t mean we can’t go back to each other. But we will both move forward and move forward with our due diligence, seeing what is out there and what is best.

“My reaction was to see what was best for the Lightning organization. And Stephen has to do what’s best for him, his career, and his family. So unless something changes between now and July 1, and it doesn’t seem like it will, we’ll get to (free agency).

The roster could look very different over the next few days without two franchise fan favorites in Sergachev and Stamkos.

The Lightning may not be the better team today, but they are young. As for Sergachev, he’s got a 24-year-old top-four defenseman in JJ Moser, who averaged 20:34 of ice time for Arizona last season, and 20-year-old forward Connor Geikie, a former No. 11 There was overall selection. Immediately becomes the Lightning’s top prospect.

And BriseBois has now become a major player in free agency. The Lightning’s cap space has increased to $16.5 million, so they can make a run at some of this year’s top free agents, or explore trade offers from teams constrained by the $88 million cap that have the opportunity to move salary. Needed.

“Now we have enough room to go out and improve our team in free agency,” Brisebois said. “And the hope is that the newly found cap space, our favorable taxation situation, the opportunity to join a competitive team and play with some great players should make us an attractive destination when free agents in July have to decide where to sign.” Have to do 1.

Brisebois did not necessarily want to move Sergachev, calling him a “stud, two-time Stanley Cup winner, 26-year-old No. 1 defenseman”, but he saw strength on the left side of the Lightning blue line. – Acquired defenseman Ryan McDonagh last month and decided to improve the depth of the forward group.

Nevertheless, it came as a shock that Sergachev was the player who had to be transferred. The Lightning saw him as part of their long-term future, signing him to an eight-year extension during the 2022 offseason to keep him under team control until 2030–31, making him the highest-paid defenseman on the team. . He won his second Stanley Cup just days after his 23rd birthday, and he learned under the tutelage of Hedman and McDonagh.

“Looking at what we had in the back end, we felt like we would have a better collective group if we reallocated some of our money from the back end to improving our depth at the forward positions,” Brisebois said. Will end with.” “And this time of year, there’s a time during the draft and the opening of free agency, and what we’re trying to do is always be about the collective group. It’s always about trying to build the strongest group possible.”

In addition to parting ways with Sergachev, the Lightning took the bait on 27-year-old Jeannot, whom they paid a hefty price to acquire at the 2023 trade deadline. He didn’t live up to expectations, and he found a suitor in the Kings who will take on a $2.665 million cap hit for next season before reaching free agency.

Shortly after Saturday’s trade, Sergachev posted on Instagram thanking the Lightning and their fans:

“I’m grateful to (the Lightning) for all the ups and downs, everything we did together, from losing 4-0 in the first round to winning two Stanley Cups! Thank you to the organization for providing me with everything I need to perform at my best! Thanks to the coaches, I have learned a lot from you. Thank you to the medical staff, I love you guys and thank you so much to the players I played with, you really made it special!

“I was proud to call myself a Bolt and I gave this team my all! Tampa will always be home to me and my family! And thank you to the fans and the city of Tampa! I have felt love and support from you and it has made me better! Everything ends, but we are winners forever and I love you Tampa!”

Entering the offseason, Brisebois said his mission – along with re-signing Stamkos – was to improve defensively after the Lightning finished 22nd in goals. They traded to get McDonagh back, and claimed a top four group composed of Victor Hedman, McDonagh, Sergachev, and Eric Cernak.

But Brisebois said that earlier this month — when negotiations with Stamkos hit an impasse — his staff started sending out thinkers for trades and taking a closer look at a free-agent market they hadn’t delved into before. Could go. They decided to focus on upgrading the forward group, possibly focusing on the top two-way forward available.

The Lightning may also seek an extension in the coming days for Hedman, who is entering the final year of his contract.

Along with Moser and Geikie, the latest trades gave the Lightning four more draft picks, two of which were included in Saturday’s draft.

Moser was selected in the second round by Arizona in 2021. Another left-shot defenseman, he had five goals and 26 points in 80 games last season for the Coyotes. He will receive a significant raise from the $886,667 cap hit on his entry-level contract.

Geikie is playing his third full season in the Western Hockey League, where he scored 43 goals and 56 assists in 55 games between the Wenatchee Wild and the Swift Current Broncos. His plus-51 rating was the second highest among Western Hockey League skaters. Geikie also represented Team Canada at this year’s World Juniors, and recorded two goals and one assist in five games.

Geikie, whose entry-level contract runs through 2026-27, is expected to begin the season in AHL Syracuse after making his professional debut last season with the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate in Tucson.

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